The present invention relates to a firefighting apparatus, such as a fire truck, a trailer or other vehicles, and more particularly to a firefighting apparatus with an integrated memory device that stores and provides access to data and information regarding the firefighting apparatus.
Because they are so costly, fire trucks and rescue vehicles typically are designed to last many, many years. To aid in their longevity, most trucks are routinely serviced and maintained. To do so, service and maintenance personnel typically refer to one or more service and/or maintenance manuals regarding the trucks. They may also refer to troubleshooting guides to analyze issues with the truck.
Firetruck manuals and guides typically are provided by firetruck manufacturers to fire departments and other purchasing entities in bound, multipage paperback form. Frequently, these paper manuals are shipped with the trucks upon first delivery of the truck. Over time, the manuals usually become soiled and torn after repeated use. The printed manuals are also costly to print and distribute, and difficult to update effectively. Many times, with various personnel working on a particular truck, the manuals become lost or misplaced, necessitating order of a new manual from the manufacturer. This can become costly for already cash strapped departments.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in the consistent provision and secure, permanent retention of manuals, guides and information related to firefighting apparatus.